Let Us Give Thanks

Family:  Something that we all have to be thankful for is the togetherness of our family. We all have our health which gives us the opportunity to spend the little time we have together. We have a home, we have food in our fridge, we have the gospel of Jesus Christ to rely on for guidance, and we have so many other, less prominent but equally significant, blessings to be grateful for.

Colby: Colby is definitely in the throws of a tough semester. We are all going to be so so glad to get December 16th here and over with then enjoy hopefully 3 1/2 weeks of quality family time. He is still doing well in his classes and learning a lot. He is still very confident that this is in fact a career path that he feels will continue to challenge him and allow him amazing growth and opportunity. Colby had his 29th birthday on the 24th! We were able to go to a movie and dinner with one of Colby's friends-carpool partner-study buddy. His wife, Alyse, is pretty awesome too so it is fun to get together with them. We went to Dumb and Dumber To then went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. I, of course, ate steak- but I am glad Colby got to eat his beloved crab! Ha ha

Megan: I am back to being my boring self. I didn't have much going on I loved getting together with my family for Thanksgiving. It is the only time I get to see so many of them so I am grateful for traditions that pull us together. It is also great to see my grandparents. I try to see them most times I go to Delta. I never know if the last time is going to be the last time to see them. I guess it takes some years of maturity to really appreciate the time that has been lost. I am grateful for the time I had.

Hayden:She had her very first parent teacher conference. After hearing from her teacher several times, I thought that I was going to get lectured but she had only good things to say about her. She is already meeting expectations required for the end of her preschool program. She does struggle with conflict resolution but we are all working on that. Not to brag, but her teacher said that she is the only one in class that knows all of her letters and the sounds they make. I was kind of shocked. I haven't worked with her for quite a while so I thought she would be right around the same page as everyone else. She does love to learn and I am so proud of her for how interested she is in everything. One night we were playing and she told me that I was the babysitter and she was going to work. I asked her what she was going to do and she told me she was going to St. George. Then I asked her what she did at her work and she said, "Ya know, medicine?" I asked what type and she said, "Like I look at xray's to see if they have broken bones." I told her that those were called Radiologists and she said, "Yeah a katologis!" Ha ha. I thought it was pretty funny. I'm loving the little conversations we have.

Hanna: This month was a huge month of firsts for our sweet Hanna. She got her FIRST tooth just a week before she turned 11 months old. She also has taken her first steps!!! So exciting. She is definitely not walking yet but once she gets a little confidence I'm sure she'll take off! She also got her first little trim on her bangs. Her other new tricks include waving, clapping, giving "high-fives", and blowing kisses. She is sleeping the complete 12 hours at night now from 8-8. She sometimes wakes up around 7 but I feed her and she goes back to sleep until 8. I am no longer doing her "dream-feed" at 10:30.  It is very nice to have the consistency and be able to go to bed earlier if I want too.

October

Colby: One of the highlights of the month for Colby was getting to watch his former mission president Eduardo Gaverett in Spanish. He loved to be able to listen to a man that he has so much respect and admiration for give amazing counsel in his address.

Megan: I finished off my cake class the first Wednesday of the month. It was fun to be able to use the skills that I had been learning throughout the course. My next venture will be the fondant class and I'm pretty excited for that. I have a lot of work to be able to get my frosting recipe and the rest of my techniques down. I thoroughly enjoyed conference weekend. Hanna took great naps during a good majority of both days and Hayden entertained herself in a variety of ways so I actually was able to listen to it. I loved Elder Oaks talk on kindness and I love how Elder Uchtdorf said (paraphrasing) in contrast to an amusement park your testimony does not have to be this high (holding his hand up about chest level) to be able to come and participate in the blessings of the gospel. Just as I was recommitting myself to trying my best in my calling as a ward missionary after feeling a little disconnected because of travelling during August and conferences and the temple dedication, I got a new calling................I am the 1st counselor in the Relief Society presidency. I am super super intimidated in this calling but I am going to try my hardest to not fail miserably. I informed my coworkers that I was going to be dressing up for Halloween and I expected them to participate. I was very proud of them when they showed up in costume.

Hayden: October started off with a bang for Hayden. She had her very first picture day at school! Oh my goodness she looked so cute. Every single night during the first 3 weeks of the month she asked to go on a walk every single night. We might as well take complete advantage of the gorgeous weather. She is so ready for a bigger bike instead of her Strider bike but I think we are going to wait until her birthday which will be prime time for warm weather next year. She can cruise down hills on her bike. The first time she did it I was pretty nervous but after a few times she got pretty confident with it. She was doing so well at school for so many days this month then she hit another kid at school. She is so emotionally charged and we are trying to teach her to use these emotions appropriately. She absolutely loved Halloween. She loved dressing up for school and making sure that we all had our costumes ready for the big day.

Hanna: This kid is the sunlight in my soul. She is so happy go lucky and scoots her little self around. She has started doing a funny face where her lips are closed but her little tongue sticks out just slightly and cocks to the side. It's so adorable. She is very close to saying Dada. I was hoping to teach her Mama first but it's not going to happen. I really can't believe that she is 10 months old. She is standing for a few seconds by herself. She is such a mover. She is so so wiggly! When she is down she wants up- when she is up she wants down. Her sleep has relapsed a little- she has been waking up somewhere from 2-4 which gets exhausting. So sleep training is starting again after we go to Delta for Halloween. She looked so cute in her first little Halloween costume.

Speedy September

Family: September also went by with a blur!! We got to go to Delta again for Labor day weekend and we visited and relaxed and just simply enjoyed our time there. Then the next weekend we got to go back down and my dad blessed Maisa and Carter's adorable baby Quin! She is a doll and I am so glad that we were able to go. It's times like this that I am so grateful that Colby was accepted into the U's program so that we don't have to miss these wonderful family events.

The girls and I were lucky to be able to get together with my cousins Cicelie and Leah and her girls. We ventured up to Cicelie's new stomping grounds of Weber county. I do have to say that downtown Ogden (although it has such a bad historical reputation), it is my favorite Utah downtown area. On every corner there are these fun colored horses and the girls loved to point them out. Also, there are funky painted pianos on the street corners that anyone can sit down and play. So fun!!! We went up there on a Tuesday that I had off with the intentions of going to the Treehouse museum but we found it closed when we got there so we decided to go over to the Union Station Museum (which was primarily for older people) but the girls had a hoot!

So the next week we went back up there to go to the Treehouse museum and it definitely did not disappoint. It is, by far, my favorite place we have gone all summer. And, hats off to Cicelie, she dug in and dressed up with the girls at every stop! They had a tea party, took care of babies, played doctor, ran a diner, visited the old west, China, the mid-evil times, and other places that sparked the imagination!

Colby: Through September, Colby got to get back in the swing of school. He had big tests pretty much every Monday so every weekend was spent studying and every weeknight after school he utilized every minute he could to really internalize the information that he was being taught. As he did last semester, he is doing very well and I am very impressed with him.

Megan: I actually had a very eventful month. I have been wanting to get into a hobby. I have internalized the fact that running is definitely not a hobby that I enjoy. I would love to be able to get back into horses but that is just not plausible with our current situation. I love to bake so I found a cake decorating class at the Michael's in Midvale! It is a buttercream course and it has been super fun!! There are 3 more month long courses I can take but I am going to space them out a little. I did find myself getting a little overwhelmed with work, training, prepping for my classes and still trying to be a mom and a wife. I am happy to announce that I survived my half marathon. I was painfully slow but I made it. I really did not have a target time in mind I just simply wanted to finish. I found myself sucking on my inhaler a lot more than is medically recommended haha!! I hit a wall at around 6 miles, 9 miles, and 11 miles. My music didn't work until the last 3 miles so I had a lot of time to think. I definitely need to jot down the things that went through my head in my journal. I though about my life, my hopes, my testimony, my health........I am so blessed in each of the facets of life. Nikki and Crystal finished significantly ahead of me and Hayden kept asking when I was going to get done. She was pretty worried about me which I think is pretty funny. Then when I finally finished she said, "I can't believe you won Mommy!" Ha ha!!

Here are a couple of my creations. I have a lot of work to do to get my skills down but it has been so much fun!

I feel at this point that I need to have a section for Jacey because she has become such an integral part of our family over these past 4 months. She is seriously amazing. I tell her all the time but I don't know if she really even believes me but I don't know what I would do without her. She is like the other me that picks up my slack and without her I really don't know if my sanity would be intact without her. She has completely blown away all expectations I had when we asked her to be our nanny. I can tell that she genuinely loves my girls and that brings me so much comfort when leaving them as much as I do. If it was not for her, my heart would be breaking every day while I'm at work but I have a sense of peace leaving them with her. AND...the added bonus is I come home to a clean house seriously every day!! It makes an amazing difference in my stress levels. It is so wonderful to not have to worry about cleaning every single night after I get the girls to bed. She has been an answer to our prayers. 

Hayden: Remember when I said that she was doing amazing in preschool. Well she was and she never cried and transitioned so much better than I thought she would. Then I went to pick her up one Tuesday and her teacher told me she hit another girl. I was so disappointed. Bullying will never be tolerated for any of our kids. So after a long conversation on what to do with my wonderful mother-in-law we decided to implement a sticker chart and we have had many conversations about how to react when we are upset. She has always kept us up on our toes. Luckily she finished out the rest of the month with stickers on every day! 

Hanna: She is cruising!!! She even learned how to crawl up the stairs. So up went the baby gate!! We (Jacey and I) worked on dropping her cat nap and by the end of the month she was solidly doing the 2 naps. Her morning nap is only about 1 1/2 hours because of preschool pickup but her afternoon nap she will sleep 2-3 hours. Her fluffy hair is finally thick/long enough to put in a couple piggies or flip it under. She looks so cute... She is super friendly and will crawl right up and snuggle on anyone that is willing to hold her. She even gave Colby's school buddy Brett a couple snuggles one night when we were at their place. Her appetite is ever increasing. I don't think we have found anything that she won't eat. She does love any kind of noodle though. On Labor Day she got in her very first horse ride which is something that this mama always looks forward too. 

My mom thinks Hanna reminds her of me. I see some resemblance. I do think she looks more like me than Hayden ever has. So here is a little side by side! 

August Adventures

Family: August went way too fast........We kicked it off right though.....little Saigie poo (Karlee and Tyson's baby) got blessed. Then on the 5th we got to play with more cousins (Kristy and her kids). They came up on a Monday night and we went swimming then the next morning we went to the zoo. Then to celebrate Dylan's upcoming birthday, we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. It was a blast and we are so glad that they came up. We were even lucky enough to have Colby be able to come with us! 

During the month of August, Thanksgiving Point did $2 Tuesdays where each attraction was just $2! So we went and walked around the gorgeous gardens, fed the koi fish, saw the amazing waterfalls, then we headed over to the farms to see all of the animals. It was a blast! Definitely a fun family outing.

 Colby: He got to actually enjoy a little time off of school! Although he did have to do a little studying, he tried to get some relaxation in and even got to go bow hunting with his brothers and dad. I'm so glad he got to do that and separate himself from school for a bit. He also got to hit up the golf course a few times.

Megan: I spent August having fun with the fam and I also got in several extra shifts at work. The preparation for the big Cedar 1/2 marathon was in full swing and I tried really hard to stay on track with it.

Hayden: We used the whole month of August in preparation for her to start preschool. She is like her father in the fact that she doesn't like surprises. So I knew we would need to talk about it a lot and really prep her for it. She was so excited when the time finally came. I didn't take the time to go school shopping so I ordered online even though we have every thing here less than a 3 mile radius. So when her grandma Nikki asked her where she got her school clothes she said, "From the mail!" Ha ha. When the big day finally came I was so surprised with how well she did. She paused for a minute when we were walking up to the school but this cute little girl from her class named Cassie came up and started talking to her and stood in line with her. It was pretty cute!! She loved school and was super excited to go the next day. She goes Monday through Thursday for 2 1/2 hours in the morning. 

 Hanna: This little cutie became quite mobile in August! She got pretty proficient at crawling and pulling herself up to things. She was taking 2 longer naps during the day and 1 shorter cat nap in the evening. She was still waking up around 5ish and then she went through a rough patch when we were gone a lot and wasn't sleeping the greatest. One night when she was supposed to be sleeping Colby went in to check on her and found that she had pulled herself up and was dangling over the edge of the crib!! Freaked us out so at 10 o'clock at night with Hayden asleep on her bed in that same room, Colby had to drop her crib mattress all the way down to the bottom. Then just a few days later she started crawling. She loves to giggle and babble. She is eating more and more big people food and she loves it. She also loves being outside and playing on the grass. She doesn't move much but she just likes to sit there. 

The epitome of summer- JULY!!!!

Whew........this summer FLEW!! I know I'm a couple weeks late on this but I'm telling ya, I'm blown away by how fast this summer has gone by!! I really don't think we spent a day at home the entire month of July. I think the exhaustion is going to hit me like a ton of bricks when we finally slow down.....but there are no signs of that happening in August! Ha ha

Family- We started July off with a BANG. The girls and I got to go to Hogle Zoo on the first and we were lucky enough to have Crystal, her kids, and her mom join us. The kids had a blast! Then we went to Pizza Pie Cafe for some yummy pizza. Then later that week we headed to Delta for the good ole Independence Day celebration. We always go to the parade, then grandma Joyce's for lunch. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon at Braden and Crystal's for a BBQ and topped it off with some fun fireworks with the kids at Tyson and Karlee's. The kids played so hard and had so much fun! They were all exhausted. We got to do so many other fun things in July including going to our first Bee's game and an RSL game. After work on the 19th, I took the girls to the Living Planet Aquarium. It was so incredibly crowded but we had fun. On the 23rd, the girls and I went to Delta to enjoy the festivities there. We also made our first visit to the Nephi pool to meet up with the Bliss family- that is such a fun pool! Hayden surprised me and went down one of the really big slides all by herself. She told me, "No mom, you go down there and I'll go by myself." Maisa and Carter welcomed their adorable little girl Quin on the 16th (a week late). We finally got to meet her when she was a week old and she is so precious.

Colby- Colby finished up his first semester in the PA program. His grades were outstanding and he ended up in the top 10% in his class, maybe even better but he won't admit it. He is thriving in this field and I am so so proud of him. He works his butt off and puts his whole heart into it. When we were in Delta on the fourth we stopped by Ashton's and they gave us some pigs feet to practice suturing. It's kinda fun to be able to do this type of thing with him. I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that we would basically end up in the same profession. He has surpassed my expectations 10 fold.

Megan- I almost forgot to address myself in this post. But I pretty much sum it all up in the girls' sections. I ended up working a few extra shifts in July even with all of the other outings we did. I need to keep telling myself that we still have at least 2 more summers in Salt Lake (depending on job outlook for Colby when he's done) and I really don't have to hit EVERY tourist attraction in the valley this summer. But by golly, I'm going to try! Ha ha! I am still running 4-5 nights a week and I can safely say that I KNOW that I do not like running. I will try and find some other form of exercise to do once this 1/2 marathon is over. I was really hoping that I would notice more of a physical change with running so much but I have hardly changed a bit on the outward appearance (I do know my endurance level and energy has increased) but I definitely haven't lost any inches or weight. But, breastfeeding makes my appetite astronomically high!! Ha ha- so I know exactly what my problem is but there is not much I can do about that until Hanna is one. 

Hayden- we had to do some vocabulary teaching this month. She surprised us by saying, "Oh my Hell" one night. She tells us she learned it from her swim teacher but we aren't too sure about that. We told her to switch that word to "heck." After a few slip ups, she came around to the milder language. We found out it is really hard to not laugh at things like this and parent through them. Hayden had so much fun when we went to the zoo and the Aquarium. She touched a snake at the zoo and one of her favorite exhibits at the aquarium was the "big giant snake." She has loved having Jacey watch her and she tells me that she misses her when she goes to Delta for the weekends. She also preemptively tells me she misses me when I tuck her in bed at night. She says, "Mama, I miss you tomorrow." She asks me every day if I get to stay with her tomorrow. She is getting really excited for preschool, which she starts the end of August. We luckily found one really close to our house at an elementary school. It will be 4 days a week and I think she will love it! She is a really good sister most of the time but every now and again when we are in the car and I want her to help me by giving Hanna her binky she will yell at Hanna, "Stop crying! I'm not going to help you!" Needless to say, that does not make her mother very happy at all. 

Hanna- I swear, if I knew that every baby would behave like this one, I would have a hundred......okay maybe not a hundred......but really........she is so mellow!! She started doing the army crawl a couple weeks before she turned 7 months. She caught on very quickly and was able to motor around and get to where she wanted too. She woke up one morning and had a pretty heft eye infection that was all crusted shut. Luckily it resolved quickly with the help of some eye drops. I decided it was time to take Hanna out of her Moses basket in my room and put her in her crib in the girls' shared room. We stopped swaddling her at that time and put her in a sleep sack instead. I figured it's best to do them at the same time instead of waiting. It took a few nights and she still isn't completely sleeping through the night but she is getting better. Her schedule hasn't changed much. She still is taking 2 bigger naps and one catnap a day. She eats solids breakfast, lunch, and dinner and she LOVES them. She loves food. She gets a bottle or nurses 5-6 times a day. I am still sneaking into her room before I go to bed to feed her to help get her further through the night. Really this kid is so adaptable. She doesn't get super cranky if she hasn't gotten her nap on time, as long as she is entertained she can go a long time (this is a stark difference from her sister who HAD to nap on time). 

Every time I see these pictures and her little gummy smile, my heart literally swells with complete and utter love and adoration for this beautiful little soul. She is seriously a ray of sunshine and I am loving seeing her grow but hating that she is growing up at the same time haha!

I am blessed........

June- Summer is the BEST!!

Family: June was a great month! Jacey (Colby's cousin) who just recently graduated high school moved in with us on the 2nd. We are so so incredibly glad to have her in our home. She is watching the girls while I work and she is going to take college classes in the fall as well......she will be a busy gal! I am so relieved that I don't have to stress about daycare situations up here. It made me very nervous....especially with Hanna. We went to the pool a lot in June, the girls and I went bowling, Grandma Nikki came and stayed for a few days while Jacey went to summer games, Maisa and Carter stayed a night, and Crystal and her kids stayed a different night. We love it when we have visitors. 

Colby: This man is thriving in school!! He really is such an amazing student. He has done well on everything. He puts so much time into his studies yet makes time for us. We had a double dose of fun on the 15th. It was, of course, Father's day; but it was also our 7th anniversary! Colby got some golf slacks for Father's day that he plans on using for clinicals. Several weeks before Father's Day Hayden asked when it was and I told her then she told me, "Can I get him a tie?" So we went to Macey's tie section and she picked him out a tie all on her own. Now every week she asks if he is going to wear the tie that she gave him. Haha! At church that day, Colby got asked to be a "secret daddy" for the junior primary. He had to wear a spiderman mask and the kids had to try to guess who's dad it was. It was hilarious to see Hayden's face when he finally took off the mask and she realized who it was!

Megan: I have had a great month. I got to celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss (literally Bliss) with my wonderful hubby! Nikki was with us a few days before and she all but pushed us out the door to enjoy a night at dinner. We went to a restaurant called the Longhorn. We shared a giant steak and enjoyed some kid free conversation! Thank you Nikki for being so wonderful! I am still training for the 1/2 marathon in September. Mind you, I am not a runner. It has been a struggle for me but I am not going to give up now. I have been proud of myself. For the first time in a very long time I have been able to exercise on a consistent basis. I think if Colby wasn't studying every night I would have a harder time doing it. I have also been consistent with reading my scriptures on a daily basis thanks to following BofM365 on instagram. Being on a day shift schedule has done wonders for my abilities to do the things that I never thought I had time for or energy. I am definitely a lot happier these days. Oh and I've figured out that I can bowl okay with a baby strapped to my chest. I think Hayden and I will be going  bowling quite frequently on my days off. She loves it and we can use our pass of all passes at the fun center in Sandy.

Hayden: Hayden started swimming lessons in June she went 8 days. She did not do well the first couple of days when Jacey took her. Then when Nikki took her she did pretty good. The second to last day her teacher made her sit outside of the pool because she wasn't participating. But the last day she finally decided things were okay and they let her jump off the diving board. She really took off in the swimming pool the week Nikki and Maddy came. Madd's was so good to help her in the pool and she got very brave. Now she'll run and jump in and she can make her way to the side of the pool. At the beginning of the month we found a big ole tomato worm in our garden and Hayden wanted to keep it as a pet. So we put it in a jar and she named it Sammie (after one of her favorite people- Misha's girl). The poor thing lasted about a week before it kicked the bucket. She actually took it pretty well. She loves brushing and doing my hair. One day I got a beautiful wig of flowers strategically placed. I got told that I looked like repunzel. I'm sure I have talked about some of my favorite phrases that she says but I'll repeat them just in case. She says, "Let me speak in your ear." When she wants to tell me a secret. She got some goggles at Target one day and she kept confusing it and calling them "goblets." She also does that with perfume. She loves to come into my bathroom while I'm getting ready because she loves to put on my perfume. I think it's funny. She will say, "Mom, can I put on some propane?" Hahaha. 

Hanna: Oh Hanna Hanna. This little one makes my day so bright. I mean- look at that gummy smile......how could you not love her?!?! She is a rolly polly gal. She sits up by herself pretty great (her sister loves telling everyone and making me have Hanna demonstrate it). She loves being in the water and going on walks in the stroller. She likes pretty much all foods. Usually if she hasn't liked something, I just give it to her again and she will eat it. She is now eating solids 2-3 times a day as well as nibbling off of my plate. She just loves to eat. At her 6 month app she was 14 lbs 15 oz and 27 inches long. She is only in the 4th percentile for her weight but the 90th for her height. You'd think with those numbers she'd look like a string bean but she's got some rolls on her. I think she is perfect! Not too small and not too big! She has the most magical sparkly blue eyes. I could look at her adorable face all day long. It has been a little bit more challenging to get her to sleep at church----the little turkey. She just wants to see everything.......she is the same way when I try to use my nursing cover to feed her...she has those arms flailing and grabbing so it is so hard to be discreet. She is still taking two longer naps with one catnap every day. She has been back and forth on her night time sleep some nights she does good but others she wakes up a couple times. I tend to fall asleep when I'm feeding her and wake up a couple hours later and she is still in bed with me. I haven't been as strict on her schedule as I was with her sister. I'm sure it's because I am gone more during the day now instead of at night....but who could resist that cute face. She loves her puppy, loves her sister, and loves attention from anyone!!

"More matter for a May morning"- Shakespeare

"The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke

The Month of May

Family: On May 1st, the girls' newest cousin Saige was born. Karlee and Tyson are her lucky parents. She is gorgeous. We headed down to Nephi to see her just before they were released from the hospital. After that, we ventured to Thanksgiving point to spend the afternoon at the dinosaur museum. That next Monday Colby started his PA program which has been super intense thus far. Colby and I also recieved callings in our ward. It is a joint calling which I am super grateful for. We are ward missionaries. I don't know exactly what it will intell but I am excited to figure it all out. We had so much help from so many different family members throughout the month. I don't know what we would have done without them. Chelise and her boys came up and spent a couple weeks with us watching the girls. Maisa also came up and spent 6 days with us. Crystal and her kids came up and they all went swimming. Then Nikki finished off the month by spending her first week out of school watching them. We are so so so grateful for all of these wonderful family members that were so selfless and helped us out. Bless their souls- SERIOUSLY! I don't know what we would have done without them. On the 31st, the girls and I went to Delta to go to Maisa's baby shower. Dani did such a great job putting it all together!

Colby: Colby started his program on the 5th. We had a meet and greet BBQ with his professors and other classmates that Saturday. He has several classes on his schedule for this month including Anatomy and physiology, EKG's, Data collections, but the worst one is BioChem. He says that it is easily the hardest course he has ever taken in his college career. He has developed quite the tight schedule for himself. He wakes up early and studies until he leave at about 715 then school all day and group study after that. He comes home around 730 and eats then helps me get the girls to bed then studies until 1030 or 11 at night. He is already looking forward to clinical year.

Megan: This month has been busier for me! I decided to sign up for a half marathon which is in Cedar in September. I am NOT a runner so this is going to be a huge undertaking for me. I started slowly running the beginning of the month. The only time I can is after the girls go to bed at night. I don't know exactly how I'm going to fit in my long runs. I felt really good at the first of the month just really slow and am totally out of shape. But towards the end of the month I started experiencing some pretty severe knee pain. I hope that I can work through it and get feeling better because I need something to get me in shape. Exercising has never been a strong point for me- neither has dieting!! Honestly, I'd probably rather exercise than diet......I like my cookies and cupcakes too much! This month I was pretty much spoiled for Mother's day! Besides being blessed with the best hubby and daughters, Colby and Hayden fixed me a wonderful breakfast and after church Colby grilled up the most devine steak I have ever tasted!! After Maisa's shower, I went to Crystal's and she cut 11 inches off my hair. I like to donate it every few years. I figure that since mine grows pretty fast I can spare a few inches every now and again. Besides that, it is so much more manageable with Hanna!!

Hayden: She is growing up!! She is no longer my little toddler prancing around. She is a little girl!! I'm not sure how I feel about it! She loves to do my hair. We planted a garden in our backyard and she loves going out and watching the progress each day. She says, "Lets go look at our garden growing." We got a sit-n-stand stroller and she loves sitting on her little area and going for walks to get the mail and around our neighborhood. We also got to start going to the little pool in our neighborhood. She would go every day if she could. She gets pretty shy when there are other kids there besides her cousins. I hope that once she starts school in the fall that she will open up a bit more with other kids.

Hanna: Hanna has gotten this rollling thing down!! Sometimes she gets her arms stuck underneath her and she can't get rolled back over on her back and it ticks her off:-) I love to see her smile a big cheesy-gummy grin when I get off of work. It makes my heart happy. I cannot believe she is 5 months old. The time seriously has flown by. We are up to giving her rice cereal 2 times a day. She still thrusts her tongue forward so she doesn't get a whole lot in but we are trying! She reaches for everything. One morning, I was eating some cream-of-wheat at the kitchen table while holding her and she grabbed the bowl and pulled it towards us spilling it all over us!! Cream-of-wheat is not easy to clean up haha!! She has definitely found her voice and is pretty noisy- but it is a happy sound! I love it- She is still in 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers- but they are getting a little snug. She hasn't been weighed since her 4 month appointment but I know she is growing like a champ because she has got some pretty impressive thighs- they are adorable!!!! Every night I rub her feet and legs with lotion and she LOVES it. If she is cranky, it will make her happy for a little while. I love watching her face when I'm doing it- that makes me happy too!

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Family: We tried to make the most of our time together in April. Colby's start of grad school was creeping up fast. We spent the first weekend lounging around and watching conference. There were some amazing talks given and we always love the spiritual boost we get when we watch it. The second weekend we decided to take a little trip up to Temple Square since we are just a hop, skip, and a jump away from it. It was a fun little family outing. Then the next week we had a fun birthday celebration for a certain four year old! Then came Easter. We also took one last trip to Delta before school starts to get some good quality family visiting in.

Colby: For the first time since Colby has been home from his mission we were able to go to a mission reunion!! We figured we would be stupid to pass on them while we're up here. Then when we got to the first one we found out about another one with his second mission president at the same time in Orem- so we decided to split the time and hit them both. It was so fun to meet the people that had such a big influence on Colby's life.m On April 10th, Colby was invited to a ceremony where they chose certain individuals to receive an award. He was awarded the Academic Excellence for the entire Bachelors in Radiology program. His parents drove all the way up to our house then we all hopped in together to head up to Odgen. They provided refreshments and did a short, but sweet presentation program. The director of the program, Bob, is very fond of Colby and gave him quite the introduction. I am so very proud of his accomplishments. 

Megan: I promise I am the most boring family member of all!! Ha ha!! I really have to new milestones or accomplishments to tout:-) I am simply going to work (actually getting quite busy there) and then I rush home to my cute girls and husband at night! I have loved spending every last minute I can with them. I love being a wife and I love being a mom. These three humans bring me so much joy I cannot even begin to explain. I often wonder how am I so lucky to have this amazing life that I have. We have struggles but the struggles we have in comparison to others, are so so minor. I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for the life lessons I have learned and the blessings I have received because of them.

Hayden: Someone had a birthday shout HOORAY!! On the 16th, she turned 4 years old!!! I still cannot believe she is that grown up. We celebrated the day before by going to Chuck-e-cheese. Then the morning of her birthday we opened presents and blew out candles before I headed to work. 

1. What is your favorite color? blue

2. What is your favorite toy? stuffed animals
3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberries and "zweequini" (zuccini)
4. What is your favorite tv show? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Ramen Noodles
6. What is your favorite outfit? Pink ballerina stuff
7. What is your favorite game? rainbow dragons (I have no idea what that is)
8. What is your favorite snack? spaghetti- O's
9. What is your favorite animal? Zebras
10. What is your favorite song? "The Frozen one that Elsa sings" AKA Let it Go.
11. What is your favorite book? The sheep one
12. Who is your best friend? Brody and Layne
13. What is your favorite cereal? 
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Fly a kite
15. What is your favorite drink? Juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? All of the stuffed animals and soft blanky
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Mickey Pancakes
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Spaghetti and pizza
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?  "I wanna be Elsa when I grow up!"

She really learned the story about how Jesus was crucified this month. She talks all the time about when "Jesus got killed by those bad guys" she also says, "they put nails in his hands and in his feet. Then they put him in a tube. Then he got resurrected and looked like an angel." It is so cute to hear her talk about it.

Happy Easter!

She had so much fun flying her kite with her dad. She loves getting pictures with her sister. Not so much by herself- but if Hanna is getting a picture taken she wants one with her.

Hanna: This little lady is just growing up right before my eyes. I sometimes wonder how it is that I don't actually see her grow!! Ha ha She was 13.8 lbs and 26 inches long at her 4 month visit. Our insurance has not come through with my new job (I typically like my kids to be seen by someone other than me) so this time she got to come to mom's work for her appointment. It was fun to show her off to some of my coworkers. At the first of the month she was kind of mad at me for how much I am working and she went on a nursing strike. She would fight me tooth and nail when I was at home to breastfeed. Then by the end of the month she did the reverse and decided she liked me more than the bottle so her dad struggled to get her to take a full feeding from him (I have to admit- I kind of think it's great)!! Ha ha. She is starting to get her routine better. Her schedule towards the middle and end of the month looks like this:

0800 feed

0930 nap until 11 or 11:30

11 or 11:30 eat

1 or 1:30 nap until 3

3 eat

4:30 or 5 nap until 5:30 or 6

5:30 or 6 eat

8 eat and bedtime

10:30 dreamfeed

She is still waking up once at night but we are stretching that. She was waking up at 0330 but we have been able to get her to 6 now before feeding her. I have not let her cry-it-out at this point and hope to not have to. She will sometimes wake up after just 45 min to an hour of her nap but we have been able to just put the binky back in and she goes back to sleep for another 45 min to an hour. 

She rolled from her belly to her back for the first time at 3 1/2 months. She is still not able to go from her back to her belly but she is getting so so close. She loves to chomp on her hands and she slobbers like crazy. She got her first taste of rice cereal just after she turned 4 months old. She didn't act too enthused about it. But we'll keep trying. She HATES her carseat right now. She will scream and scream until we finally get her out. 

March in like a lion- out like a lamb

Family: At the beginning of the month, we were able to attend Maisa and Carter’s wedding. It turned out beautiful. Then the very next day, Colby gave Hanna a beautiful blessing. In March we also made the big move that we have been anticipating for months!! We found a townhome in Sandy. It is a nice place with a clubhouse and a pool. It also has a playground in the neighborhood. I think we will really like it where we are. We are close to lots of shopping and fun things to do. I really don’t even know where to begin to express our gratitude to those that helped us. Family supplied trucks and trailers, babysitting, loading and unloading, and so much more! We really are truly blessed to have fabulous family members and friends. We have had fun eating at all the new places. However, this trend CAN’T last because it is expensive. We have forgotten about all of the details associated with moving. Every day I am reminded about another address change I have to make and some packages got sent to Cedar instead of Sandy. We were able to attend our new ward the last couple weeks in March. That very first week we were warmly greeted by so many people. We are very excited about this ward.

Before we moved, I decided to go around town and get pictures of each of the places we have lived in the past seven years. Bottom left is where we first started out when we got married. It was a little two story one bedroom apartment. We lived there for just about 6 months. Poor Brock even lived with us while we were there he slept on a futon in the living room. The bottom right picture is where we moved to next. It was a two bedroom apartment. Then when Colby started working at Brush in Delta and Brock had moved back to Delta as well, I didn't need the two bedrooms so a friend at work told me about the basement apartment that they were moving out of and it was just one bedroom and cheap the top right picture! Luckily, it was right across the street from the school so I was able to just walk. We lived there for just over a year. Then, the top left picture, was our first home that we purchased in October of 2009.

Colby: He is trying to adjust to being a stay-at-home-dad for the time being. We are definitely realizing the innate qualities that each of us has been given. While Colby does such a great job being at home with the girls, he feels the “inner-pull” to go out and provide and protect. He has been given quite a bit of study material to go through prior to starting his program so during naptime and after bedtime he focuses on that. We got his little "office" set up in our master closet. It is nice and quiet in there.

Megan: I started my job as an NP at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical Centers. It is going really good. I think that once I figure out my groove I’ll really like it! Not that I don’t right now- I’m just still a little unsure of myself. I feel that although I think I do a good job at work, my heart pulls me home with my girls. It is simply amazing the way God created us and gave us innate strengths and weaknesses.  

Hayden: Hayden absolutely loved the whole moving process! She would wake us bright and early in the morning the entire week before we moved to tell us, “we need to go work in the truck and trailer!” She still is loving to draw her name- I even noticed that she had written her name on the dusty Durango! She really wanted to label all of the moving boxes with her name so I let her write it on the boxes with her toys. She had so much fun playing with Ady and Elsie while we were unloading and unpacking. She had her last day of dance in Cedar at the first of the month. I am so glad we put her in dance. It was so good for her to go every week and learn to listen to a teacher. She would always come home and tell us about all the girls. I love her words that she uses. She calls a cement truck a “confuser” truck. I don’t know where she came up with that. But as we are driving, she can spot one from a mile away. It makes her happy which, in turn, makes me happy.

Hanna: This little angle has found her hands and she loves to chomp away at them. She is still on a 3 hour schedule and eats about 3 ½-4 oz while mom is at work. We have not been able to be very consistent with her sleep schedule because of all of the changes and running around! She really doesn’t do that bad considering though. At night she goes to sleep in between 8 and 8:30 and then I do her “dreamfeed” at around 10 then she will sleep until in between 3 and 4. Then she sleeps until 7:30 or 8. I am hoping she will drop the early morning feed on her own because I really don’t like having to let babies cry-it-out. It breaks my heart! Besides that, she is such a happy baby. She loves to make noises and loves any attention she can get! We also still have her sleeping in the bassinet in our room. I’d like to get her sleeping through the night before I switch her to the girls’ shared room.